Method: 920 upload dependent patients admitted to the self-referring clinic at the Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (RUMS) were selected through random sampling as the subjects of the survey. In an ad hoc study, the subjects were monitored through a six-month follow up period. The data were collected through an demographic questionnaire.

Findings: The results indicated 28.7% of the subjects had successful opium withdrawal, but 15.7% of them relapsed in less than 6 months, and only 119 subjects (12.9%) remained clean at the 6- month follow-up screening. In addition, there were significant differences found between the successful withdrawal group, unsuccessful withdrawal group, and the relapsed group across the following parameters: age, employment, marital status, ownership of a place of residence, type of opium, the usage route, daily dosage, initiation age, experience with other drugs, prior experiences with injection and abstinence.

Results: Successful treatment cannot be judged with reference to a single variable rather, there are a number of intervening factors that determine the prognosis of treatment, of which the addict’s personal and social characteristics constitute only a part.